I’d like to make some comments in response to the traffic management issues raised in the Strathbungo News. Many of the suggestions in the newsletter seem to be aimed at making life easier for car owning residents.
Rather than parking on the pavement or stealing part of people’s front gardens, how about restricting parking to one side of the street? We live in a city with fairly good public transport links. It’s perfectly possible to live without a car as I and some of my neighbours do. Moving around Strathbungo is very difficult for pedestrians and cyclists. It’s not the hedges that are the problem: it’s the cars. Children aren’t safe to play in Strathbungo: the pavements are narrow, there’s cars parked all over them and the high volume of dog shit doesn’t help either.
No mention is made of any provision to improve life for cyclists. Cycling is part of the solution to the problems of our overcrowded streets and should be encouraged. If there was only parking on one side of the narrow streets then children and adults could be permitted to cycle in either direction.
20 is plenty, but fewer cars parked and driving through the streets would be a lot better.Upgraded signs might help, but often motorists choose to ignore the rules rather than miss the signs. Painted bays won’t stop the double parking, dangerous manoeuvring and parking in front of the bike lane that happen in Nithsdale Road. Back lanes. How about blocking them off in the middle to stop through traffic? Council services could have a key to lower the bollards.
L Forde
Hello
Thank for your e-mail. First of all, let me assure you that no-one on the society wants to see Strathbungo beholden to the car. In fact I, too, don’t own a car and am keen to see pedestrians more highly considered in the area. This newsletter has encouraged a lot of responses and we’re now trying to come up with some ideas which not only residents might like but which the Council may approve. For example, residents have suggested:
Making alll the streets ‘home zones’. Home zones are areas where there is no distinction between pavements or roads. The aim is to allow pedestrians to wander the streets freely while encouraging car drivers to proceed with caution at all times, as the familiar physical landmarks which usually give the car superiority over the pedestrian are removed.
Installing fire hydrants and asking the fire brigade to use smaller trucks
Restoring the back lanes to provide parking and/or alternative pedestrian or cycling routes and making the streets no parking
A car share scheme to reduce car usage in the area
The back lanes should be accessible to all residents and could form an excellent additional pedestrian and cycle route through the area. We have been having positive discussions on the back lanes project with the council for the first time in 18 months. Representatives are meeting them in the next month to discuss ways to reduce the cost for the society and residents and perhaps get more assistance from the Council. We’re hopeful we’ll have some progress on this to report at the AGM in June.
We are looking at the possibility of blocking off some lanes and making them accessible using a key. As residents do need access it’s most likely that we’ll block off a couple of lanes to prevent rat running. We also neeed to consult the council on their preferred access route for cleansing and emergency service vehicles. Blocking off routes like this is a cumbersome project, however, as it requires a lot of consultation and agreement.
The council is planning (eventually) to have a cycle route running along the A77 from Newton Mearns to the City Centre. They’re beginning the project this month but are planning on working from the south of the city in…so it could be some time before the stretch along Pollokshaws Road is completed.
And finally, regarding parking, we’re hoping more yellow lines near junctions should deter bad parking, particularly blocking access to roads and back lanes.
I hope this answers some of your questions and thanks very much indeed for the feedback.
Regards
Laura Jones, Editor, Strathbungo News
It’s greta to see feedback from popel int he neighbourhood. I agree with manyof your points. In particular, the back lanes coudl be a vital new safe pedestrain route through, what is, a very tight neighbourhood not as they are where I live, a very busy, peak time rat run for commuters and residents alike! Finally, with such narrow pavements, residents with hedges need to become a bit more aware that more hedge growth all too often means, less pavement access.
Kevin
Try and type in English, please! Apologies – can we not get a spell check – or is that not blogg cool?
Take an aspirin, Kev. Everybody’s welcome. Bad spellers of the wordl, untie …!
In response to Laura Jones comments on traffic.
I’d endorse most of what she says. However I would also add the following;
The back lanes should be dug up, widened and resurfaced to make them easier to negotiate. This would encourage more people to park there and take the pressure of the streets.
Also, as someone who has received a parking ticket for parking near the end of Queen Sq on a supposed double yellow line which consisits of about 3 specks of paint I would ask if there are to more double yellows that they are properly marked. I have subsequently challenged the validity of the ticket and, so far, have not been asked to pay it. However, as I’m sure a lot of people would agree the double yellow lines at the end of Queen Sq are a joke.
Brian in Queen Sq
Widening the back lanes would be contrary to the Conservation Area Appraisal which seeks to maintain what is left of the rear boundary wall line to the lanes. Resurfacing is something which we have discussed and, subject to wider discussion at the AGM, we are keen to progress.
We have recently met with Land Services at GCC and raised all the various issues regarding traffic management and the yellow lines was one of these issues. One of the actions which the Council agreed to do was to reline the yellow lines to make them clearer.
As a dog owner in Strathbungo I can understand why residents get annoyed at dogs fouling the path,I have had the misfortune to stand on it myself and its not pleasant. I carry dog poop bags and my dog goes of the pavement. I use the bags on all occasions, but may I say there are no bins for disposing of the dirt and its pretty awful carrying the dirt (apart from the smell) to find a bin. It would be great if land services could put one at each end of all the squares and gardens.
Maureen Mills
lots of comments regarding parking and dog poo – unfortunately not one comment abouts cars going down the wrong way – you ENTER Queen Square , you do not exit it – it’s selfish and downright dangerous and I don’t just mean for drivers, think of pedestrians, both the young and the old! – YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
Stop being so damn lazy and drive the correct way down the road – it’s also illegal.
Anne, Queen Square